What Is The Child Support Cap In Texas?

Sarah and Jason Andrews have been married for twenty years. They have twins. In their free time, they like to spend time with their extended family. Sarah is a teacher, while Jason is an executive at a major oil company. They reside in a quiet suburb of a big Texas city. For the past three years, they have grown increasingly unhappy in their marriage. They have both individually thought about seeking a divorce, but they have been reserved about doing so because they are apprehensive about issues such as child support.

Specifically, Jason often wonders how much support he will have to pay if he and Sarah divorced. How is child support calculated in Texas? What is the cap on the amount that an obligor parent (the parent that pays it) would be ordered to pay? We will discuss the way it is calculated in Texas below. Should you, like Jason have questions about the amount of support you will be required to pay in the event of a divorce, you should contact a licensed attorney.

Calculating Child Support or Child Support Calculator

A support payment is calculated based on the guidelines set in the Texas Family Code. The child support guidelines are presumed to be in the best interest of the child. This is a percentage of the paying parent’s (or obligor parent’s) net income, starting at 20% for 1 child and going up 5% for each additional child. We will discuss the calculation of support below.

Texas Child Support Guidelines

The amount of support that you may be required to pay in Texas will depend on several factors. Some of the factors include the following:

Your income; and

The amount of children you have; and

The needs of your children.

According to the Texas Family Code Child Support Guidelines, the support cap will be determinate upon the net resources of the obligor parent. This means that the amount of support that an obligor parent is ordered to pay will be based on the obligor parents’ “net resources.” So, what all does net resources consist of?

Net Resources

100 percent of all wage and salary income and other compensation for personal services (including commissions, overtime pay, tips, and bonuses);

Interest, dividends, and royalty income;

Self-employment income;

Net rental income (defined as rent after deducting operating expenses and mortgage payments, but not including non-cash items such as depreciation); and

All other income actually being received, including severance pay, retirement benefits, pensions, trust income, annuities, capital gains, social security benefits other than supplemental security income, United States Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits other than non-service-connected disability pension benefits, as defined by 38 U.S.C. Section 101(17), unemployment benefits, disability and workers’ compensation benefits, interest income from notes regardless of the source, gifts and prizes, spousal maintenance, and alimony.

On the other hand, according to the Texas Family Code Section 154.062(c), net resources do not include:

Return of principal or capital; or

Accounts receivable; or

Benefits paid in accordance with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program or another federal public assistance program; or

Any payments for foster care of a child.

The Texas Child Support Cap

Moreover, to promote fairness, equality in outcomes, and to provide guidance in structuring support payments, The Texas Family Code, Section 154.124 provides a child support chart. The chart indicates that there are a minimum and maximum amount of child support that will be ordered for an obligor parent.

Moreover, the chart contains the subsequent information: If the obligor parent has only one child to render support to, then the obligor’s support payment will be based on 20% of the obligor’s net resources.

Additionally, if the obligor parent has two children to render support to, then the obligor’s support payment will be based on 25% of the obligor’s net resources. Further, if the obligor parent has three children to render support to, then the obligor’s support payment will be based on 30% of the obligors net resources. If the obligor parent has five children or more than the obligor’s support payment will be typically based off of 40% of the obligors net resources.

Furthermore, according to the Texas Family Code, Section 154.125 the amount of support will be adjusted every 6 years to compensate for inflation. Also, pursuant to the Texas Family Code, Section 154.129, if there are children in more than one household, then the court will use an alternative method for computing the support for the child.

Summary

The child support cap is calculated based on the guidelines listed in the Texas Family Code. Those guidelines are based on the number of children that an obligor parent has as well as the net resources of the obligor parent. The net resources of an obligor parent typically mean all of the income that the obligor parent receives.

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